WGT:The
idea for the site occurred to me while pondering the fate of the stacks
and stacks of very gently used books, music, videos, and computer
games piling up around the house. Although these were in new or near
new condition, we no longer had any use for them and no real way of
getting rid of them except for donating some of the items to a local
library. I couldn't bear the idea of (gasp) throwing them away since
they were in such good condition and cost so much money. The local
library was essentially giving our donated items away or throwing
them away because of limited stack space. I was also fed up with paying
high retail prices for items that I would only use once or twice.
I found that the internet was a way I could buy, sell, or trade some
of these things using mailing lists or the like but this was very
hit or miss. The stacks just kept on getting higher and higher.

After
talking to a number of people, I found I wasn't the only one in this
situation so I decided to create a site, lovedstuff.com,
where people who loved books, music, videos, and games could buy and
sell in a free classified ad format to one another. However, my aim
was to make it different from the other sites that are out there.

WGT:As
I looked at the stacks of books, cds, videos, and games laying around
the house, I realized that I couldn't just toss them away because,
like my son's ragged Teddy bear, all of this had once been "loved
stuff" - hence the site name.

PNR:What
makes your site different?

WGT:
I looked at all of the sites that were out there for buying and selling
of books, CDs, videos, and games. I found that these sites were either
dominated by "dealers" who were looking to unload their
stock at inflated prices, or were looking to charge me a fee to buy
or sell these relatively low priced item. There was also the auction
scene but that forum just didn't seem right for these used articles.
I wanted to create a site where users could comfortably and easily
buy and sell these items to one another for free. I don't run one
of those "big" operations which may be gone tomorrow or
that really don't care about the wants or needs of the user community.

It's
also a place were you can list all of your used items without having
to set up your own web site and to be able to reach more potential
buyers than you could on your own. Users can search the site by your
username which means they can find all of the items you have for sale.
All classified postings remain on the site for 90 days instead of
the typical 14 or 30 days and can be reposted if necessary. We also
allow up to 500 character descriptions.

Internet
privacy is one of the most important things I consider whenever I
decide to "join" a site. I just hate the idea of getting
spam mail either directly or indirect from a site. I also worry about
sites tracking my usage or internet comings and goings through the
use of cookies or other means. I have been subjected to my email address
being bought and sold countless times resulting in my having to change
my email address. I didn't want this site to be like that!

I built
lovedstuff.com with this in
mind. Lovedstuff will NEVER sell or give away any of your personal
information to anyone. We do not use cookies which can be used to
track your comings or goings. We also keep your personal information,
like email addresses, private from other users or visitors until the
time you decide to contact them. You will also never get any unsolicited
email from us. We have a simple and straightforward privacy policy
statement on the site which lets you know, in terms you can understand,
how we conduct business as far as your information is concerned.

PNR:Sounds
good, so how does your site work?

WGT:Lovedstuff.com
is set up with four main categories - books, music, videos and games.
Each of the categories is further broken up into sub-categories. There
is also a site-wide search capability so you can find specific items
quickly. Anyone who visits the site can browse the classified listings
to see what people have to offer. However, to respond to or post a
classified, a user needs to sign-on. To sign-on all we ask is that
you come up with a username or alias and supply us with your email
address. Within moments we email you a password to be used with your
username. We ask for your email address to protect everyone on the
site. This prevents someone from generating an account for the purposes
of sending unsolicited email and provides a way for you to contact
the seller. Again, we keep this email information private until YOU
are ready to contact the seller.

Once
you have a valid username and password, you can then post an item
for sale or contact a seller. As a registered user, your initial contact
with the seller, via email, will be through our server. Your message
is sent to the seller and both can agree, via email, on the terms
of the sale. Remember that this is a person-to-person system and lovedstuff.com
only serves to bring the buyer and seller together.

We don't
have any minimum or maximum price limits on what you can sell your
item for but remember that lovedstuff.com
was created for selling those gently used items that you have around
the house so they should be priced to sell.

PNR:What
about payment between the buyer and seller?

WGT:Payment
between the buyer and seller can occur in any number of ways as decided
upon by both parties. Payment can be made by check or other traditional
means. You can also take advantage of some of the safe and secure
internet payment systems run by major banks, such as paypal.com.
This method allows direct and free payment between buyers and sellers
using either credit card or direct bank withdrawals and deposits.

PNR:
And
Lovedstuff receives no money from either the buyer or the seller?

WGT:That's
correct. All of our revenues come from banner advertising.

PNR:How
long has the site been around?

WGT:The
site debuted last month. It took a while to get everything the way
we wanted it so that it would be a comfortable, pleasant, and secure
place for the users of the site.

PNR:What's
on the horizon for the site?

WGT:We're
working on a "Want Ads" addition to the site where users
can post items they are looking to buy but currently is not listed
on the site. We're hoping that this feature will additional value
to the user community.